The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1887-10-22
LIFE OUT IN UTAH,
THE MORMON GIEI, WHO DID
NOT LIKE POI.IGAMS.
An the Trials and Tribulations
Through Which She Passed.

pT'llN. Inc men lll;tltc nv lie InlNCld-
bic and annoyed my parents, who are
good Mormons, living in mOn0ealny,
until | thought one day nv father WAS
going to kick Il 90 ycar-old Bishop ont of
our front yard. Ii | am not married
people can't say it's because I've not
been asked. | guess I've been asked
hundred times, like Nellie there. and
most of the men who asked me had lots
of age and plenty of wives, But there
is one of them | must tell you about.
He's dead now, bu. he WAS among the
wcalthiest men in the Church. His
name was Franklin Neff. One day his
wife-tlie only wife he had-came to our
house AMI had talk with me- She said
she wanted me to marry Mr.. Neff. / was
only -, hut L knew what polvgamy was,
ami L had set my heart against it,
Well, Mrs. Neff, said, If he wants
me he'll have to summon mp cheek
enough to ask me himself / said this
in fun, and then asked Mrs. Ncff what
she thought about it. She said herself
and husband had talked the whole mat
ter over, and she had come to the con
clusion that AS her husband was obliged
to take a second wife she knew nobody
she'd sooner have him take than myself;
therefore she begged me vixen he called
to give him favorable answer. This
proposition, coming frora a woman 30
years old, who had been married for
years to Il husbasI of about the same
age, and who had assisted aim in accu-
mulating his wealth, was at once strange
and amusing.
.'Mr. Neff called that same night,
and, in answer to his question, told
him he must be crazy to make such an
offer of marriage to a mere child, but
he insisted that he WAS in earnest, and
he went to my mother, who. Oh account
of his high position in the Church, was
afraid TO fatty refuse him. Mother said
she would not go against NY wishes,
bot If he could persuade me into poly
gamy she would offer no objection; mt
the same time she warned rse not to
give my consent for any consideration.
Mrs. Neff came around to see me sew
ersl times, and was always urging me
TO marry her husband, saying that he
could not live without me-, and both of
them would be all the happier for it.
But the more she talked the firmer be-
came in my resistance. Thsy invited
me to spend few days at their country
home. | wanted to refuse, B1t mother
saul L had better go. L went, and 1
don't think | spent a more miserable
time anywhere in all my life. The hus-
band was continually asking me to go
buggy riding with him and the wife was
coaying me to consent. Still, | thought
L saw that the woman was unhappy.
She seemed to be doing what she did
against her VIII. A ball vas given in
the neighborhood and wanted TO go.
Mrs. Nef asked ME to 60. with Frank
that was her Husbands aame-but L
said no, l would go alone, unless she
would agree to go along. She agreed,
and We went. That mal tried his very
hardest that night to dance with me,
and his wife even asked me to dance
with him, but / kept plenty of engage
ments ahead with tie young fellows
and he got no dance"
"Some one. then told him that would
not dance with him while Mrs. Neff was
present, SO he told her and she went
home. After she went he came to me
and said she had gone and he hoped
now he would have the pleasure of
dance, but / continued to make excuses,
and avoided him. The time came to 90
home and refused to allow linn to ac-
company me unless there was a third
party along. His brother Amos accom-.
panied us, and after leaving me at the
door the two men went to Amos Neffs
house. found Mrs. Neff in her room
in tears-a more heartbroken woman
never saw. She had been sitting there
fretting and crying and moaning for
hours, thinking that l was dancing with
her husband, and that 1 was coming
home alone with him. And only the
night before she had sat up with me
until twelve o'clock TRYING To t,lk mo